Understanding the Glorious Qur'an
The Muhkamat
ayat and Mutashabihat ayat
The Muhkam Ayah: A verse that has one clear meaning. Like {Laysa Kamithlihi Shay'}
The Mutashabih Ayah: A verse that can have many meanings. Like: {Allahu Nurus-Samawati wal-'Ard}
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Praise
be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, Who does not resemble the
creation. To Him belong the endowments and the befitting perfections and
commendations. I ask Allah to raise the rank of Prophet Muhammad,
sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and to protect his nation
from that which he fears for them. Thereafter: Surat
Al-^Imran, ayah 7
means: [Allah is the One Who has sent down to the Prophet the
Book that contains muhkamat ayat, which are
the foundation of the Book, and other ayat which are mutashabihat.] So,
know firmly, that the Qur'an contains two types of ayat: Muhkamat ayat and Mutashabihat
ayat ·
Muhkamat
ayat: These
are the ayat that have only one meaning according to the
rules of the Arabic language or else the meaning of the ayah is
clearly known. Examples of this type of ayat are: the
saying of Allah, ta^ala: Suratash-Shura,ayah 11 means: [Absolutely there is nothing like Him]
and His saying, ta^ala: Suratal-Ikhlas, ayah 4 means: [There is nothing which
is equal to Him], and His saying, ta^ala: Surat
Maryam,ayah 65 means: [Do you
know of anything which is similar to Him? There is none.] ·
Mutashabihat
ayat: These
are the ayat that can have many meanings according to the
rules of the Arabic language. Assigning meanings to these ayat
requires thorough thinking so that acceptable meanings are given to them.
Examples of this type of ayat are: the saying of Allah,
ta^ala, in and
His saying, ta^ala, in Surat Fatir,
ayah 10: According
to the rules of the Arabic language, these ayat are
mutashabihat; so they can have many meanings. If meanings are
assigned to them, this must be done in a manner that complies with the language
and the Religion, and does not contradict the ayat that
are muhkamat. Surely the ayat of the
Qur'an do not contradict one another. Likewise, the ahadith
(sayings of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam,) do
not contradict one another, and they do not contradict the ayat
of the Qur'an. There
are two methodologies for explaining the mutashabihat ayat
of the Qur'an, and both of them are valid: ·
The Methodology
of the Salaf ·
The Methodology
of the Khalaf The Methodology of the Salaf: The
Salaf were the scholars who lived during the first three centuries after
the Hijrah of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam.
For the most part, this methodology consisted of giving general explanations,
since the scholars of the Salaf believed that these ayat
have meanings befitting to the perfection of Allah. Rather than
saying what these meanings are, they referred these mutashabihat
ayat to the muhkamat ayat.
A good example is the saying of Imam ash-Shafi^iyy: which
means: "I believe in what Allah revealed according to the
meaning that Allah willed, and in what the Messenger of Allah
conveyed according to the meaning that the Messenger of Allah
willed." In other words, the proper befitting meanings are not according
to the sensuous and physical meanings that delusions would lead to--such as
places, shapes, limbs, movements, sitting, colors, directions, smiling,
laughter, or any other meanings which are not permissible to be attributed to
Allah. Furthermore,
the Arabs during these three centuries spoke the Arabic language with a natural
disposition and great eloquence. Their understanding of its meanings was so
sharp that they did not need to attribute specific meanings to the mutashabihat
ayat. Instead, they understood that these ayat
have meanings that befit Allah, and that it is impossible that
they would have sensuous and physical meanings that do not befit Allah. Nevertheless,
it is well known that some of the scholars of the Salaf did attribute
specific meanings to mutashabihat ayat. In
his Sahih, in the chapter Tafsirul-Qur'an
(the explanation of the Qur'an,) Imam al-Bukhariyy
attributed a specific meaning to the term "illa wajhahu"
in The Methodology of the Khalaf: The
Khalaf were the scholars who lived after the first three centuries. For the
most part, this methodology consisted of giving specific meanings to the
mutashabihat ayat. The scholars of the
Khalaf lived at a time when the people started to lose their natural
disposition for the Arabic language. Seeing that the people had become weaker
in the language, the scholars of the Khalaf feared that those with
perversity in their hearts would read meanings into the mutashabihat
ayat that do not befit Allah. They feared what
is mentioned in SuratAl ^Imran, ayah
7. Allah said: which
means: [Those who have perversity in their hearts, they follow the mutashabihat
ayat seeking discord and searching for unbefitting meanings
based on their delusions.] In order to protect the creed of Islam,
the scholars of the Khalaf followed the example of those scholars among
the Salaf who chose to give specific meanings to the mutashabihat
ayat. Referring them to the muhkamat ayat,
they gave specific meanings to the mutashabihat ayat
in compliance with the language and the Religion. They gave correct, acceptable
meanings to the mutashabihat ayat. Allah
said: Ayah 7 in Among
those who have perversity in their hearts are the mushabbihah, those who
liken Allah to His creation. The followers of Ibn Taymiyah
and Muhammad Ibn ^AbdilWahhab are among the group of the
mushabbihah. They falsely claim that it is prohibited to assign specific
meanings to the mutashabihat ayat and
especially those that pertain to the attributes of Allah.
Moreover, they innovated a devilish rule that assigning specific meanings to
these ayat would lead to canceling these attributes of
Allah. This claim of theirs leads to interpretations of the ayat
of the Qur'an that contradict one another and
interpretations of the ahadith of the Prophet that contradict
one another and contradict the ayat of the Qur'an.
Furthermore, their claim accuses the Islamic scholars among the Salaf
and the Khalaf of blasphemy for denying the attributes of Allah.
This would include: Ibn ^Abbas, Sufyan athThawriyy, Mujahid,
Sa^id Ibn Jubayr, Malik, Ahmad, alBukhariyy,
an-Nawawiyy, Ibn Rajab alHanbaliyy, Ibn-ul-Jawziyy, Ibn Hajar,
alBayhaqiyy, Abu Fadl at-Tamimiyy, ^Abdul-Qahir
al-Baghdadiyy, the linguist and scholar of hadith Murtada
az-Zabidiyy, and others. Foremost,
by this claim of theirs they are contradicting the Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam. Al-Bukhariyy related that the Prophet made
a du^a' (a supplication) for Ibn ^Abbas. The
Prophet said: which
means: <<O Allah, teach him the Knowledge of Hadith
and the explanation of the Qur'an.>> The
scholars of the Salaf explained the term saq by
'hardship,' and the ayah to mean 'a day of anguish and hardship.'
This explanation is known to have been given by Ibn ^Abbas, Mujahid,
Ibrahim an Nakh^iyy, Qatadah, Sa^id Ibn
Jubayr, and a multiple of scholars. Both Imam al-Fakhr arRaziyy
in his Explanation of the Qur'an, Volume 30, page 94 and
Imam al-Bayhaqiyy in his books, Al-'Asma' wasSifat,
(page 245) and Fath-al-Bari, (Volume 13, page 428)
related this explanation from Ibn ^Abbas. Ibn Qulayb
also related that about Sa^id Ibn Jubayr who took his knowledge
from ^Abdullah Ibn ^Abbas and Ibn ^Umar. Yet, the
mushabbihah insist on taking the literal meaning and attribute 'the shin'
to Allah, by saying saq literally means 'shin.' Imam
Mujahid, the student of Ibn
^Abbas, said that the word wajh means 'qiblah,'
i.e., the direction of prayers during the voluntary prayers while traveling and
riding on an animal. Yet, the mushabbihah insist on taking the literal
meaning; they say the term, wajh, means 'face.' was
taken literally, it would mean that Allah blew part of His Soul
into ^Isa (Jesus.).) However, the scholars said that this
ayah means: [Allah ordered Jibril to
blow into ^Isa the soul which is honorable to Allah.] if
taken literally, would mean: "What has stopped you from performing sujud
to what I have created with My hands?" However, the scholars said that the
word 'yadayn' in the ayah means the 'care' of Allah.
Yet, the mushabbihah insist that yadayn means hands. if
taken literally, would mean: "Allah is the light of the
heavens and the Earth." The scholars said that this ayah
means: [Allah is the Creator of guidance in the occupants of
the skies and the occupants of the earth.] However, the mushabbihah
insist on taking the literal meaning and say that Allah is
'light.' would
mean: "Your Lord comes." It was related that Imam Ahmad
Ibn Hanbal, who is among the authorities of the Salaf, said
that this ayah means: [An indication of the Power of Allah
has come.] In his book, ManaqibAhmad, Hafidh Imam
alBayhaqiyy, established that the sanad (chain) of narrators
is sahih (authentic). Also, Ibn al-Jawziyy alHanbaliyy,
one of the authorities of the as a
descent of mercy and not that of movement. However, the mushabbihah
insist on taking the literal meaning and they say the nuzul in
the hadith means a descent of movement and going from one
place to another. as
al-istila', which means subjugating. When alistila'
is used to explain this ayah it means that Allah
subjugated the ^arsh with a subjugation that is without a beginning,
like all of the attributes of Allah. If the ayah is
explained in this manner, it means that Allah was attributed with
subjugating the ^arsh before the ^arsh was created in the same
way that Allah was attributed with being the Creator before
anything from the creation existed. In this context, the scholars have used the
term al-azal, which means the status of existing without a
beginning. Thus it can be said that Allah subjugated the ^arsh
in al-azal, meaning that Allah subjugated the
^arsh with a subjugation which is without a beginning. Yet the mushabbihah
insist on taking the literal meaning, and they say istiwa' means
Allah 'sits' on the throne and 'firmly establishes' Himself on it. which
means: "Accept them as they came without applying a 'how' to them."
This is because if one asked the question 'how?' the answer would be, 'Like
this or that.' Everything other than Allah is His creation so to
say 'like this or that' would mean 'like this or that created thing' and Allah
is not like His creation. Anything a person can imagine, Allah is
different from it. When the scholars said: "... without applying a 'how'
to them," they meant that Allah is clear of being attributed
with sitting, resting, moving, limbs, bodies, and parts. They did not mean that
His istiwa' over the throne has a 'how' of which we are ignorant.
On the contrary, the scholars completely negated that a 'how' could be applied
to Allah. So the statement of those who say "Allah
sits on the throne but we do not know how," is rejected on the basis of
what these scholars said. Likewise,
the hadith of the Prophet, sallallahu
^alayhi wa sallam: means:
<<If you are merciful to those on earth, the angels, who occupy the
heavens, will bring onto you the mercy of Allah.>> Yet, the
mushabbihah insist on taking the literal meaning--saying the hadith
means: "Allah, Who occupies the heavens, will be merciful to
you." if
taken by the method of the mushabbihah, it would mean, "Allah
is between the person and the neck of his animal." This is in direct
contradiction with their claim that the hadith of the
black slave woman means: "Allah has a place, which is the
sky." is
taken literally, it would mean, "Allah is with you, wherever
you are." However, the scholars established that this ayah
means: [Allah knows about you, wherever you are.] Similarly, if
the saying of Allah in SuratFussilat,
ayah 54: is
taken by its literal meaning, it would mean, "Allah
surrounds everything." Furthermore, if the saying of Allah
that Ibrahim said in Suratas-Saffat,
ayah 99: is
taken by its literal meaning, it would mean, "Allah is in
the countries of ash-Sham," since this ayah
was related aboutSayyidina Ibrahim while he was moving
from is
taken by its literal meaning, it would mean: "The Ka^bah is the
residence of Allah." If ayah 128 in Suratan-Nahl
is taken literally, it would mean, "Allah is physically
with the pious." means:
[Allah knows about you wherever you are.] means
[Allah knows everything.] means:
[The Ka^bah is a house of a great honor to Allah.] refers
to the fawqiyyah (aboveness) of subjugation, meaning: [All are
subjugated to Allah.] means:
[Allah supports those who are pious.] means:
[Allah subjugated the ^arsh in al-azal with
a subjugation which is without a beginning, like all of the attributes of
Allah.] which
means: [Absolutely there is nothing like Allah.] They try
to escape the contradiction by camouflaging it, saying that Allah
has a 'face' but without countenance; and Allah has a 'direction'
which is above, but we do not know 'how' it is; and Allah has a
'shin,' but we do not know 'how' His 'shin' is. Moreover, they say that Allah
'sits' but we do not know 'how' His 'sitting' is. which
means: [The Qur'an was revealed in clear, explicit
Arabic.] Az-Zabidiyy proceeded to say:
"Those people who take a position against assigning acceptable meanings
are basically likening Allah to the creation." However, they
camouflage it by saying that he has a 'hand,' not like the hands of the
creation and a 'shin' not like the shins of creation and a physical istiwa',
that we cannot comprehend. He addressed them with: "Your saying, 'we take
it by its literal meaning and it is incomprehensible' is contradictory in
itself. If you take by its literal meaning, then 'as-saq' in Suratal-Qalam,
ayah 42, is a 'shin' which is a part made up of flesh, bones,
muscle, and nerves. If you take by that literal meaning, then you have
committed blasphemy, and if you deny it, then how do you claim to take by the
literal meaning?" Also
know that among the mutashabih are things that only Allah
knows about, such as the time when the Day of Judgment will occur, the exact
day the sun will rise from its setting place, the exact time when the Dajjal
would appear, and the like. This falls under one of the meanings of Surat
Al-^Imran, ayah 7: which
means: [No one knows the meaning of that kind of mutashabih
except Allah.] which
means: "Whoever attributes to Allah any of the meanings
pertaining to humans commits blasphemy." This
means: <<The slave shall utter with a word he does not see harmful that
will cause him to fall into Hellfire for seventy autumns.>> This is a
place that only the kuffar will reach. which
means: [Every word that a person utters will be written down by the two
angels, Raqib and ^Atid.] Also, beware of books
that are claimed to be interpretations of the Qur'an or
translations of its meanings and in which they liken Allah, the
Exalted, to His creation, by attributing to Him light, hands, eyes, shins,
faces, sitting, directions, places, and the like. Allah is clear
of all imperfection and of any resemblance to the creation. Praise
be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds, the One Who is clear of
resembling the creation, all non befitting attributes, and all which the
blasphemers unrightfully say about Him. And Allah knows best. | Back | | Main Page |
Allah said in the Qur'an:
In the chapter, Tafsir alQur'an, (Explanation of
the meaning of the Qur'an), Imam al-Bukhariyy
says that the term wajhahu in SuratalQasas,ayah
88, means "His Dominion." However, those mushabbihah who liken
Allah to the creation say, "We do not interpret, but rather we
go by the literal meaning," and hence (they say) wajhahu
means "His face."
Ibn Hajar al-^Asqalaniyy, in his book, AlFath
(an explanation of the meaning of Sahih alBukhariyy),
Volume 6, page 39-40, said: " ..... in reference to al-Bukhariyy's
saying that the attribute of Allah, ad-dahik,
means 'mercy,' it is closer to say that it means 'acceptance of deeds.' Yet,
the mushabbihah insist on taking the literal meaning, and they say that
Allah smiles, or laughs.
In
In Surat-ul-Baqarah, ayah 115, Allah
said:
Similarly, if ayah 12 in Suratat-Tahrim:
Also, ayah 75 in Surat Sad:
Likewise, ayah 35 in Suratan-Nur:
If taken literally, ayah 22 in Suratal-Fajr:
The hadith of the Prophet related by alBukhariyy
was explained and affirmed by Imam Malik:
Copying from Imam al-'Ash^ariyy, Imam alBayhaqiyy,
in his book, Al-Asma' was-Sifat, page 488,
said: "Allah, ta^ala, is not in a
place. Movement, coming to rest, and sitting are among the attributes of
bodies."
Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbaliyy explained the term al-istiwa',
in SuratTaha, ayah 5:
In his book, Al-Mu^taqad, Imam alBayhaqiyy
related in a chain back to al'Awza^iyy and Imam Malik
and Sufyan ath-Thawriyy and alLayth Ibn Sa^d that when
they were asked about the ayat and the ahadith
that are mutashabihat, they said:
Anyone with a sound mind knows that sitting, no matter how it is, is an
attribute of bodies. Occupying places necessitates a 'how' and applies to
bodies. Furthermore, color and touching are attributes of bodies and 'how'
applies to them. All of that is impossible to apply to Allah.
Similarly, when the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam,
asked the black slave woman the question: "Aynallah?",
the scholars said this meant he was asking her about her belief in the status
of Allah. She answered: "Fissama'" which
has the meaning that Allah has the highest status. Yet the
mushabbihah insist on taking the literal meaning--saying that the Prophet
asked her about the place of Allah, and that she said, "In
the sky," meaning that the sky is a place for Allah.
So the mushabbihah insist on taking the literal meanings of the
mutashabihatayat. They reject assigning
specific meanings to them, and they refuse to ascribe acceptable meanings to
them. By doing this, they render the ayat of the Qur'an
and the ahadith in contradiction to one another. For
example, the famous hadith of the Prophet:
Likewise, if ayah 4 in Suratal-Hadid:
It is clear that if these ayat are interpreted based on
the literal meanings, this will lead to numerous contradictions. The great
scholars of Islam have ascribed proper and acceptable meanings to
the mutashabihat ayat and the mutashabihat
ahadith in accordance with the Religion, the language, and by
referring them to the clear muhkamat ayat.
They said Suratal-Hadid, ayah 4,
Surat Fussilat, ayah 54,
Surat alBaqarah, ayah 125,
Surat anNahl, ayah 128,
Surat Taha, ayah 5,
In taking the mutashabihatayat by their
literal meanings, the mushabbihah contradict the muhkamat
ayat, like
The great Hanafiyy linguist and scholar of hadith,
Imam Murtada az-Zabidiyy, in his book,
Ithafus-Sadatil-Muttaqin, refuted those who reject
acceptable meanings be assigned to the ayat which are
mutashabihat and insist on taking them by their literal
meanings. He said: "In essence they are slandering the office of
Prophethood; they are claiming that the Prophet did not know the meaning of the
attributes of Allah that were revealed to him; and they are
claiming he called the creation to believe in that of which he was
ignorant." However, Allah says in the Qur'an
in
Rest assured that the methodologies of both the Salaf and the Khalaf
are correct and neither of them attribute anything to Allah that
does not befit Him. In simple terms, one correct way of explaining the
mutashabihat ayat in the Qur'an
is to say one believes in them according to the meaning that Allah
willed without saying what that meaning is; and without a 'how,' i.e., without
attributing to Allah sitting, standing, occupying places,
sensuous attributes, or any of the meanings that apply to humans and other
creations. Following this method, one would say: "Allah has
an istiwa' which befits Him--which is not sitting, and Allah
has a yad which befits Him--which is not a hand, and a wajh that
befits Him--which is not a face." The second correct way of explaining the
mutashabihat ayat in the Qur'an
is to give specific meanings to them which are in accordance with the Religion
and the language. Following this method, one would say: "His istiwa'
means 'He preserves the throne,' His yad means 'His Care,' His wajh
means 'His Self,' 'His Dominion,' or 'His Qiblah.'"
May Allah protect us from falling into the trap of likening
Allah to His creation. Imam Abu Ja^far at-Tahawiyy,
in his book Al-^Aqidatut-Tahawiyyah, said:
We ask Allah to keep us steadfast on the correct path and creed
of the Islamic scholars among the Salaf and the Khalaf. We seek
refuge with Allah from falling into the trap of apostasy, because
the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, said in the
hadith related by at-Tirmidhiyy:
Be extremely observant of what you utter, for Allah, ta^ala
said in Surat Qaf, ayah 18 :